Means for supporting lamps



July 15 1924. 1,501,418

H. H. MEYER, JR

MEANS FOR SUPPORTING LAMPS Filed Feb. 21. 1923 /9 INVENTOR A Patented July 15, 1924.

UNITED STATES .P A T E N T O p HERMAN H. MEYER, JR, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MEANS FOR SUPPORTING LAMPS.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, HERMAN H. MEYER, Jr. a citizen of the United States, at New York, in the county of Bronx and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Supporting Lamps, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to means for supporting lamps, such as spotlight lamps on automobiles and has for its main' object to provide a device, which may be applied to the wind shield, dash board or other upright part, so that the lam .can be easily and conveniently manipulate from within a closed car to move the same to different positions.

The main object of my invention is to simplify the construction of the device and thereby greatly reduce the cost of manufacture and the time necessary for mounting thereof With this and other objects in view my invention consists-in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and defined in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing, in which similar reference .characters denote corresponding parts, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a part of a closed car equipped with my new device; Fig. 2 is an enlarged section on line 2-2 of Fig. l and Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig. 2.

In the drawing 10 denotes a wind shield or other upright portion of an automobile. The same is formed with a circular opening 11 at a suitable place in front of the drivers seat in which opening the spotlight support is adapted to be movably mounted. This support consists of a tubular, either solid or sectional, shaft or rod 12, the forward end. of which is formed with the usual electric socket 13 for the electric bulb or spotlight 14 and the rear end of which is formed with a suitable electric switch 15 for said light and carries a handle 16 through which the electric wire connection 17 is passed and whereby the lamp can be manipulated.

Intermediate the ends of the tubular rod a ball 18 is provided of a size smaller than the hole 11 in the support 10, which ball is centrally perforated as at 18 to fit on and to be fastened to said rod 12. Thus far the construction of the device is well known.

The novel features of this invention reresiding side in the means whereby the ball 18 will be durably held with the requisite tightness in 1ts socket as to be properly centered and yet capable of free universal movements therein and whereby the effects of wear and slackness inthe oints will be greatly minimized.

This I accomplish by mounting on the ball meridially a resilient member in form of a ring 19 split at 19', which will have the tendency to tightly embrace the ball and which is adapted to serve as a socket for the latter. This ring is preferably stamped of thin resilient sheet metal, so as to form a channeled body, the side walls of which near and for a short distance from the outer circumference are flat or substantially parallel to each other as 19 forming a centrally disposed circumferential rim and toward the inner circumference are bulging laterally forming between themselves av V-shaped groove 19 in which the ball is adapted to rest.

By virtue of the construction of the ring just described, the latter has a double resiliency, one in circumferential direction and the other in axial direction. The ring 19 is so admeasured that when fully expanded it will loosely fit in the hole 11 of the part 10, and the circumferential rim 19 thereof in thickness is about equal to that of the wind shield or part 10. Adapted to be mounted on each side of the wind shield or part 10 is a ring 20 whose inner diameter is slightly larger than the meridian of the ball and bevelled at at 20' to bear against the bulging portion of the adjacent wall of the ring 19. Both these rings are provided with perforations 20 for the passage of screw bolts 21,. whereby they are joined together and tightened against the bulging parts of the ring 19. The ring 19 on its outer circumference is recessed as at 19, the recesses being of semi-circular shape and considerably larger than the perforations 20 and spaced in conformity with the latter, so that the bolts 21 will freely pass therethrough, permitting the ring 19 to expand and contract. Ring gaskets 22 of fibre, leather or the like, the thickness or number of which may vary according to the thickness of the wind shield used, are adapted to be inserted between each ring 20 and the wind shield 10 to permit the tightening of the rings 20 to the wind shield.

It will be seen that when the rings 20 are tightened their inner circumferences engage the bulging walls of the ring 19 compressing the latter axially and circumferon said ball.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with a support having a hole and a lamp support formed with a spherical element, of a socket therefor comprising a channelled member meridianally mounted on said element and which has resilient laterally bent members engaging around circles of said element smaller than its meridian and means outside said hole for retaining said socket therein and tightening said member on said element.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with a wind shield having a hole, and a lamp support provided with a spherical element to form a universal joint, of a socket for said element, comprising a resilient channelled split annular member meridianally mounted on said element and the side walls of which are bent laterally and engage around circles of said element smaller than its meridian and annular means outside of said hole for retainin said socket therein and tightening said si e walls on said element.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination with a wind shield having a hole, and a lam support formed with a ball, of a channel ed annular split member meridianally mounted on said ball and formed with bul ing side walls,rings on the sides of said wind shield and adapted to engage said bulging walls and means for tightening said rings so as to lock said rings in position.

5. In a device of the character described, the'combination with a wind shield, and a lamp support having a spherical element to form a universal joint, of a socket for said element comprising an annular member having bent resilient parts bearing on said element and rigid means adapted to be fixed to said wind shield and to engage said bent parts, so as to compress the latter and thereby retain said element within said socket.- I

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HERMAN H. MEYER, JR.

Witnesses:

EUGENE JOHNSON, WALTER A. HAUCK. 

